Search - Faith & Disease, Faith and Disease :: Passport To Kunming

F&D's absolute best yet!

sid s. | detroit, michigan | 08/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You would think a band like Faith & Disease, after 6 albums would start to show signs of a creative lull; How can albums like INSULARIA or BEAUTY AND BITTERNESS get any better? When F&D signed to projekt they released the very ambient and ethereal gem Beneath The Trees, somewhere between Enya or Dead Can Dance but with a more "real" essence. Then came the collaboration with composer jeff greinke Dream The Red Clouds, nice but only 4 songs and as a costly import only. Then, finally, came their newest album: a wierd title -- PASSPORT TO KUNMING with cryptic artwork and chinese lettering used as ornament. I wondered "what will this be like?" knowing damn well each F&D album is different than the one before it because, as they like to state in interviews, their influences and musical scope tend to go beynd the genre they have been lumped into for years: Gothic/ethereal/darkwave. The opening track "She's Got A Halo" is stunning: sounding like a joy division classic only with female (Dara Rosenwasser) vocals. It only gets' better, there's "Between The Folds" which..excuse me, rocks. Then they always tend to go for the stripped-down sound on at least one track per album, this time it's "Made of Wood" with voice and acoustic guitar. A song to have on repeat and it only gets better each time. Finally they close with "His Faded Muse" and it ends with crashing drums, bass, guitar and keys. Blissful.
Buy this album and you won't be disappointed, and you'll do what just about everyone who has had the chance to hear F&D will do: realize the beauty and talent of this band, still relatively unknown after 7 solid albums."